Improvement in solae and tbansit-insteuments



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WILLIAM sCHMoLZ, or, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. Letters Patent No.72,687, dated December 24, 1867.

' IMPROVEMENT IN SOLAR AND TRANSIT-INSTRUMENTS.

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'IO ALL WHOM IT MAY'CSONCERN:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SCHMOLZ, of San Francisco, county of SanFrancisco, State of California, have invented an Improved Surveyor'sSolar Transit; -and I do hereby declare the following description andaccompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled in theart or science to which it most nearly appertains 4to make and use mysaid invention or improvements without further invention or experiment.-

The nature of my invention is to provide surveyors transit-instrumentswith a solar attachment, the two hein-g combined, soithat the operatoris enabled lto find the longitude, latitude, true meridian, hour'of theday, the suns declination, and the'variation of the magnetic needle, thewhole forming a partiof and attached to one andthe same instrument. i

Proceeding therefore upon the hypothesis that the solar instrument andthe surveyors transit combined, have never been employed in the mannerabove named, and that their uses are familiar to allwho are acquaintedwith the proper workings of the said instruments, I will describe myinvention, by referring to the drawings forming a part of thisspecification, of whichl Y Figurel is a side elevation.

Figure 2 is an end view with telescope perpendicular.

Figure 8 is a view of the two axes. I

Figure 4 is a view of the elevation-arc.

Figures 5 and 6 are details of the instrument.

A A represent the axis of the telescope, which is furnished with a base,P"A,' parallel to the said axis, and from the centre of which acentre-spindle or axis, P, rests perpendicular-ly thereto. On thebase-plate is placed an hour-circle, N, to indicate the time, which ispermanently attached to the base-plate with reference to the axis A A,andnbeneath which is placed the telescope T. The solar apparatus S DW isattached to the axis P, revolving over the hour-circle N. To one endofthe axis A A is attached the ordinary vertical or elevation-arc E,one-half of which is numbered and lettered 'from Oto 90, from right toleft, to set o' the latitude from the equator to the pole.

In its operation, for example, to nd the true meridian, first level theinstrument, as an ordinary transi-t, then place it approximately northand south; next, in the Nautical Almanac, find the suns declination forthe day and hour, which is set by the vernici' S on the declination-arcD; set the latitude-arc E for the latitude of the place of observation.The time being known, set the vernierW on the hour-arc, and clam-p it.The ordinaryl transit, to which this apparatus is now attached, isrevolved on its lower axis-until the sun imprints its imagel through thelens on the opposite silver graduated plate. In this position thetelescope is in'its true meridian,

and the needle indicates the magnetic variation. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-i The hour-circle N, fastened upon the base P A',with a solar apparatus attached upon the axis P, in combination with asurveyors transit, substantially as described and for the purposes setforth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

' WM. SCHMOLZ. [L. 8.]

Witnesses:

C. W..M. SMITH, J. L. BooNn.

